I was recently chatting with a new acquaintance, and we were speaking of a mutual friend; my new acquaintance said, "He was so concrete-sequential."

I nearly leaped out of my chair! I said, "What? I'm concrete-sequential! I've never heard anyone ever say that before other than me!"

My husband, who was with us, asked "What does concrete sequential mean?"

It means - in my case - once I have a plan, I stick to the plan. It must be carried out in the order it was designed. For the most part, this works well for me because I like to make lists and check things off my list (in fact, I just made a list of the 5 things I have to get done today, before EOD, and writing this article was #1, so here I am!). People have always asked me, "How do you manage to get so much done?" It's the plan, man.

It also can work "against" me in that once I have a plan I stick to the plan. (Isn't that what I just said in the previous paragraph? Yup.) For example, if I am behind schedule and it would make sense to revisit the plan - I don't. I just work harder and longer. If 8-hour days won't get us back on track, then I'll work 12-hour days, but I won't consider if I might outsource, or possibly skip (heaving forbid!) a step because it's really not crucial.... nope. The plan is the plan.

I have known I was concrete sequential since I was in college and took a course centered around assessments. Every week we took a new assessment and the following week we got our results and processed what that meant for us as a person, as a team member, as a leader, etc. The assessment I took that taught me I was concrete-sequential is called the Grecoric Style Delineator.

So what is the point of this ⬆️ story?

The point is: Knowing who you are and how you operate can help you to be a better leader. Assessments can help to define learning styles, personality traits, leadership potential, and more. You'll find abilities you can capitalize on and detriments you can learn to overcome because you recognize when they are in play.

There are many "name-brand" assessments that can be purchased and often require a certified practitioner to help process what the outcomes mean and how to use that knowledge to your best advantage (DiSC, MBTI, Predictive Index, etc.). I'm not knocking any of them - they truly are all great - BUT here are three that are free so you can get started today.

You can use them for your own self-enlightenment or use them with your team to create a better understanding of individual and team dynamics.

By the way, just because these are free does not mean they have not been carefully researched and validated.

Enjoy!

Via Character Strengths Assessment Link

This assessment helps you to identify your strengths so that you can capitalize on them; do you work well in teams, do you prefer to make decisions based on facts, etc.

A unique feature is Viana, an AI chat-based "coach" that helps you "blaze a trail towards personal and professional growth."

The LeadX EQ Self Assessment Link

EQ is also known as emotional intelligence and it has become a critical skill for leaders in the workplace due to younger generations entering the workforce and their appreciation for different ways of being recognized and valued.

The report you receive upon completion offers a handful of ways to enhance your EQ, based on your results and you can delve deeper with a 12-week EQ coaching plan.

Sparketype Link

This assessment is based on the "intangibles" that make a person "come alive." The premise is to help you align your spark with the work that would ignite it - regardless of job title, industry, or company. There is also an accompanying book that delves into the 50 million data points collected from the more than one million people who have taken the assessment.

After you take any (or all) of the assessment, we'd love to hear your results and how they affect your leadership!

This article was originally posted on LinkedIn.